It’s no secret that stress is a daily occurrence at work for many UK employees. According to stressexperts.co.uk, work-related stress caused a loss of 10.5 million working days in the UK in 2012, with each person suffering from stress taking 24 days off work.

1. Banish workplace anxiety
from changeboard.com
Stress in the workplace – Part 2 of 3

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It’s no secret that stress is a daily occurrence at work for
many UK employees. According to stressexperts.co.uk,
work-related stress caused a loss of 10.5 million working
days in the UK in 2012, with each person suffering from
stress taking 24 days off work.

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What’s stressing you out?
In part 1 of our stress in the workplace series, we outlined the most
common stress profiles and asked our readers to share their workplace
worries and tips for managing anxiety.
The denier
The ditherer The doer The decisionmaker

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The doer
The decision-
maker
Stress profiles – survey results
The ditherer
The denier
67.8%
21.4%
7.1% 3.5%

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Survey results – stress
causesThese same respondents revealed their most common causes of stress are:
Heavy workload
53.6%
Tight deadlines
Bosses
11.5%
11.5%
Coworkers
19.2%

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On the hairiest days, we all wish that stress just didn’t exist. But it’s important to
remember that a healthy amount of stress is what’s needed to be in top form at
the office.
Positive stress, otherwise known as eustress, is what pushes you to try your
hardest, and is key to reaching your goals.
Negative stress (distress), is when it all becomes too much to balance, and you
end up feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.

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Top tips to banish negative stress
Pinpoint your triggers
Did your blood pressure rise when your boss called you out in a team meeting? Did
you want to walk out when your manager dumped a stack of paperwork on your
desk? If you can identify the exact cause of your anxiety, it will make it easier to
come up with a plan or talk to your boss about managing your workload.

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Top tips to banish negative stress
Focus on the solution instead of the problem
Getting stuck in a pattern of thinking about your problems will only make it worse.
Ask yourself: how would I rather be feeling right now? Once you have that answer,
you can plan your way towards it.

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Top tips to banish negative stress
Learn to say no
Though the majority of our readers identify their stress profiles as doers, over
half of them said their biggest cause of stress is a heavy workload. See a
correlation? Taking everything on will only burn you out; instead, trying to
manage your own workload by saying no or delegating will allow you to keep
your anxiety levels in check.

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Top tips to banish negative stress
When you’re not at work, don’t think about it. Instead, spend time with
family and friends, or find a hobby that you get deep satisfaction from. It
will give your mind some resting time, so you can approach work with a
fresh perspective.
Use your off switch

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How do you deal with stress?
Practical advice from our readers
“Avoid extreme reactions. I handle
each task as it comes or selectively
deal with matters in some priority. I
also try to be positive about coping
with situations.”
“Write a list and immediately
tackle 2 or 3 small, easy
things on it. Tick them off
the list – you’ll feel brilliant!”
Ratherthan
“Rather than looking at what you haven't
done on the 'to do' list, look at what you
have done and note down all that you have
done extra today that was not on the original
list – you’ll be surprised and rewarded about
how much you have actually done.”
- Emem Obot, business manager at Home Desire Ventures
- Amanda Rao, HRD Northern Europe, TNS
- Kim Stallard, personnel payroll & development manager,
Wychavon District Council

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